-by Peter Blauner
432 pages (2003)
forgettable mystery, un-thrilling thrillerThe Last Good Day, a tepid less-than-riveting mystery/thriller, is Blauner’s unsuccessful attempt at creating a believable tense backdrop of New York suburban life shortly after September 11, 2001. While some parts of the storyline ‘hold water’, the majority of the novel lays fallow and unfortunately fails to deliver on almost every level imaginable.
The various not-so-subtle references to 9-11 are not apropos to the plot, and as a result, appear to be a flimsy attempt to draw curious readers possibly scouting for terrorist intrigue. The shallow two-dimensional, and often gutter-mouthed, characters fail to engage the reader, and only highlight the carelessly constructed plot which is neither absorbing or captivating.
Is it just me or does Last Good Day read like a tacky made-for-TV movie? It certainly meets all the criteria, which seem blatantly placed there to appeal to the so-called 'trendy'...far too melodramatic, ladder-climbing elitists, gratuitous severity, and obscenities too proliferate to excuse. Take my advice and give this one a pass.
Any redeeming qualities to the novel? The photo on the cover is nice...
- reviewed for Time Warner books
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